LUCERNE >> The Lake County Regional Economic Development Committee will host its first Lake Leadership Summit at Marymount California University”s Lucerne campus on Oct. 10. Limited to 100 participants, the summit begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 2:20 p.m. The event is crafted for local business leaders, owners and entrepreneurs who are interested in developing their business and in growing Lake County.
The summit offers a program featuring speakers who will share practical information that participants can use immediately. Summit participants will also have access to experts who can help them after the event is over. The cost is $35 per person or $50 for two.
Alan Flora, deputy administrator for Lake County and summit co-creator, states, “The Economic Development Committee really wanted to do something different than the usual booth-space-networking-event to help our existing businesses thrive. We intentionally aimed to shake things up with the summit format. We looked to TED Talks for inspiration and kept the speakers” presentations short and provocative.
“One of our breakout sessions is called ”Arranged Marriages” and highlights ways that businesses can partner to cross market; it even includes a speed dating kind of exercise. Ultimately, we want Lake County to become a magnet for outside investors and industries to consider when they”re expanding or starting a new business.”
Michelle Scully, executive director of Marymount California University”s Lakeside Campus and summit co-creator, adds, “We”re excited about the potential for Lake County with the addition of the first four-year college right here in Lucerne and looking forward to more positive opportunities and new beginnings for our community. The Lake Leadership Summit was developed to give our existing businesses some real-time tools to add to their toolboxes and to encourage our residents to embrace who we are.
“We”re offering completely optional afternoon activities to summit participants to urge them to see Lake County with new eyes. They can choose between the Pirate”s BootyCycle
Tour of Kelseyville, the Haunted Walking Tour of Lakeport, or the Lake County Scavenger Hunt by bus. Bottom line: we know that we”re not Napa, we”re not Sonoma and we can”t compete with the Bay Area. We”re Lake County, and we want to focus on doing what we can to make Lake County the very best it can be.”
The summit”s keynote speaker is David Woolson, CEO/president of Walla Walla Valley Chamber of Commerce, whose presentation is entitled “How a Sleepy Ag Community Changed Its Rep & Became a World-Class Destination for Wine Drinkers.”
Other speakers include Robert Freedman, marketing director for Focus Financial Partners, who will present: “Google+, Vine, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Etc. — & Why the Hell They Matter,” and Maureen “Mo” McElroy, certified tourism ambassador for Sonoma County, with the session, “More Than an ”Open” Sign: The Art of Customer Service.” The O”Meara Brothers and Mendo Lake SUP will be featured during the “Arranged Marriages” portion of the summit.
“The ”What I Love About Lake County Is?” chalkboard walls going up around the county and the summit are just the beginning,” Rebecca Southwick, development and public relations officer with Sutter Lakeside Hospital and summit co-creator, stated.
“Early next year, we would like to have Peter Kageyama, the author of ”For the Love of Cities,” conduct a community workshop in Lake County to help us recognize all that”s great about our community and to form an attainable revitalization plan. We all live here in Lake County on purpose with purpose,” she stated.” The Regional Economic Development Committee wants to ensure that our established businesses have what they need to grow, while also doing everything that we can to be a viable place for new businesses to consider for investment.”
To register online for the event, go to www.EmbracetheLake.com. Limited seating is available. Call Southwick at 349-8105 or write to EmbracetheLake@gmail.com.
The university campus is located at 3700 Country Club Drive in Lucerne.
